Chapter 182: Are you okay? 2
Dark clouds rolled over and the rain began to pour down. A 12-year-old Ying Yue had locked herself up in her room after news of their father's death had reached them. She was bent over in the corner, her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them as she rocked herself to a silent lullaby.
"Ying Yue?" Ying Shen knocked on her door, his lips drawn to a thin line and tension lines apparent on his forehead, a metal paper clip between his fingers. "Xiao Yue, open the door for me. If you won't, I'll open it myself."
There was no answer. Impatience and worry had gotten the best of him, and he proceeded with unbending the paper clip he was holding, slipping it into the key slot, turning it here and there until a soft click was heard.
The door opened and his eyes darted around the room until they found Ying Yue quietly watching him from the corner with a blank stare. "Xiao Yue…" He had been devastated with the news of their father's death, but seeing his little sister like this hurt him, too. His feet took him there almost instantly. "Are you okay?"
She was quiet. And then she looked away.
He patted her head with one hand. "I'll take care of you. Don't worry."
"Miss Ying? Are you okay?" Song Yinan repeated.
The hazy memories that filtered in her head began to clear up, and the sight of Ying Shen's face in front of her made her emotional and unsteady. "Brother!" One of her hands quickly held on to his wrist.
Song Yinan was taken aback. His eyes widened slightly as they flitted from the woman in front of him, to the hand on him, and then back to her again. "I'm sorry… have we met before?" His look of surprise and indifference was so obvious that Ying Yue felt like she was stung with it.
She could feel a slight burning sensation from her lips, and as if only realizing what she'd done, she blinked twice and pulled her hand back, sucking on her bottom lip lightly until she could no longer taste any blood.
People often hid their pain beneath a mask. Being a spy, she was used to this. Her missions frequently involved pretending to be someone she wasn't, or acting like she was naïve, or happy, or mad. At that moment, she made the ends of her lips pull back to a wide smile, until her eyes crinkled and her cheeks started to hurt. "I apologize, Mr. Song. You just reminded me of someone I used to know."
He didn't answer -- only giving her a thoughtful look.
"Were you about to use the toilet?" She asked.
He blinked. "Oh, yes."
"Then I won't keep you for long. Have a good day, Mr. Song." Ying Yue fled the scene, staring at the hand she used to grab on to him, and feeling her heart crack a little.
She returned to the table to find Fei Haocheng and Su Jianjun staring at each other quietly. One with a neutral, unmoving look, and the other with a slight smile.
"Director Su," she greeted.
He turned to her with that same small smile he always had on him. The way Su Jianjun's lips were curved up, along with the soft, feminine touches of his beauty, made him seem harmless and innocent. "Miss Ying! We'd finished the discussion while you were away."
She flashed him a cool and calm look. "That's alright. I'm sure Vice President Fei here had understood all of it by himself. If you don't mind, Director Su, the Vice President and I have to be on our way back to the company for other scheduled meetings."
Hearing this, Fei Haocheng stood up, buttoning his blazer closed.
Su Jianjun's smile grew wider as he stood up, too. "Can't I at least urge you to stay, Miss Ying? Perhaps we could catch up on one another."
"No, thank you, Director Su. As a married woman, I believe it would be improper to meet up with men behind my husband's back."
Fei Haocheng shot a curious look at Su Jianjun as the latter laughed in response to her. This Director Su was so shameless, Haocheng thought. He even dared to ask out his sister-in-law in front of him!
The younger Fei brother made a mental note to report this to his brother. And then maybe Fei Huangjin would thank him with a few days off!
***
When Song Yinan got back to the table, he was surprised to find only Su Jianjun there, the table cleared of plates, and with two cups of hot coffee just served. "Director Su, is the meeting over?"
Su Jianjun lifted his head and followed him with his eyes as Song Yinan sat down across him. "Mmm. Have some coffee with me."
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